New Delhi, India

The 2022 edition of the Asia Cup saw high-octane action right through to the end. The final of the tournament saw Sri Lanka thrash Pakistan to lay claim to the mantle of Asia Cup champions.

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The win marked the sixth time the Sri Lankans have raised the coveted Asia Cup trophy over their heads. Notably, this is their first win since 2014.

Pakistan's tally of runs was bolstered by Sri Lanka's Dilshan Madushanka as he offered the Men in Green a 10-run lead at the start of the innings.

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However, the Sri Lankans maintained an air-tight defence against Pakistan, offering them no room to breathe. Sri Lanka's fielding proved to be too big a challenge for The Shaheens as their batting order found it exceedingly hard to put the ball across the boundary.

In the early stages of the match, Pakistan's bowling order did an impeccable job at holding the Sri Lankans at bay before Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s exceptional unbeaten knock of 71 helped his team put a score of 171 on the board, which proved to be too tall a task for Pakistan. 

Mohammad Rizwan managed to put 55 on the board before he was ushered off the pitch by Hasaranga, who bowled and Gunathilaka, who found himself at the receiving end of a catch. 

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Pramod Madushan and Wanindu Hasaranga were the ones who were credited with putting Pakistan on the backfoot by bowling in an absolutely stunning manner.

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Madushan managed to scalp four wickets over the course of his stint in the final. Hasaranga, on the other hand, managed to pick up three wickets in the same over. 

In addition to Pakistan's heaviest hitter, Mohammad Rizwan, Hasaranga forced Asif Ali and Khusdil Shah off the pitch, effectively etching his name in Asia Cup folklore.

Madushan managed to send Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman Iftikhar Ahmed and Naseem Shah packing after what can only be described as an absolutely stunning stint.